Where Dreams and Reality Collide: Norway's Krystall Hotel to be a Floating Snowflake

Where Dreams and Reality Collide: Norway's Krystall Hotel to be a Floating Snowflake

Possibly straight out of our childhood dreams, the upcoming 86-room Krystall Hotel shaped like a snowflake will be making its way onto the waters of the fjords of Tromsø, Norway come December 2016. Located in the arctic circle, the hotel will be the perfect viewing spot for the Aurora Borealis which can be viewed upward through rooms' glass ceilings.

Building will be done across a number of dry docks beginning in mid-2015 while a cement foundation is placed under water. From there, the individual pieces of the hotel will come together and be tethered via a dampening system in its intended snowflake shape. And, the dampening mechanics will play a major role in the hotel since, though the structure will be able to move up to twelve feet with the ebb and flow of the water, guests will maintain the comfortable feeling of being on steady land.

Developers Dutch Docklands teamed up with water-based architects Waterstudio for this impressive project that's been in the works since 2008. Waterstudio's experience is paramount in the creation of the Krystall Hotel and they've been behind some of the coolest floating structures around. These include a floating mosque in UAE, numerous water villas around the world and a floating restaurant in France. The majority of their creations have that smooth northern-European vibe, but every once in a while they get to cut loose and come up with something as inspired as Krystall Hotel.

Befitting of the hotel's nature-inspired shape, architect Koen Olthuis has stated that the hotel will be "a scar-less development." If, for whatever reason, the hotel needs to be deconstructed, it can reportedly be done relatively quick while leaving behind zero indication that it ever existed in the first place. Technologies aboard Krystall Hotel will also allow it to be self-sustainable and capable of supporting itself indefinitely. Amenities planned for the hotel include a full health spa, wellness center and conference facilities. But, let's be honest, we're really just excited to sleep inside a snowflake.